Location - TX

Location is a place on Earth that can be pointed at on a map, expressed as an address, a coordinate or a bounded area, independent of what happens there or who owns it.

A Location answers one question only: where. It carries no assumption about activity, ownership or legal responsibility. If it can be found on a map, it is a Location. What happens at that place is modelled separately, as a Facility.

Forms

A Location is expressed in one of three forms. The form follows the precision the use case needs.

Address

A postal address in the national addressing format, resolvable to a country and a region.

Point

Latitude and longitude in a stated reference system (WGS84), optionally with altitude, or an equivalent point encoding such as What3Words or a Plus Code.

Area

A bounded polygon, used where a point is not enough. Agricultural and forestry plots are the standard case: a field, an orchard block, a forest parcel. Deforestation-free sourcing evidence is the clearest driver, where plots above a size threshold have to be given as a polygon rather than a point.

Identification

The identifier for a Location is the GLN (Global Location Number). Where several distinct places sit inside one GLN, the GLN extension component identifies the internal location.

A GLN is also used in practice to identify a party. That overlap is precisely why a Location and a legal entity are kept as separate objects in the model. See #What a Location is not.

Difference between location & facility

	Location	Facility
Question	Where	What happens there, and who runs it
Identity	GLN, plus extension component for internal locations	Its own identifier, referencing a Location and an operator
Forms	Address, point, polygon	Typed activity site
Carries	Geography only	Certificates, accreditations, permits, site profiles
Cardinality	One Location, many Facilities	One Facility, one Location

The separation earns its keep the moment evidence has to be traced. A harvest happens at a plot with no facility on it. A test report is issued by a laboratory, which is a Facility, and its accreditation belongs to that laboratory and not to the address. A packaging component is produced at a production Facility whose location may be commercially confidential while its country still has to be declared.

Collapsing the two forces a choice, per case, about which meaning the field carries. That choice is exactly what breaks when the data crosses a company boundary.

What a Location is not

• Not a company. A legal entity is a separate object with its own identifier.
• Not an activity. A Location with nothing happening on it is still a valid Location: a harvested plot, a mine, a landfill, a collection point.

Examples

• The postal address of a production site.
• The coordinates of a collection point.
• The polygon of a coffee plot delivered as deforestation-free sourcing evidence.
• A warehouse dock identified by a GLN extension component under the site GLN.

See also

• Facility
• Material Platform
• Packaging System
• IMDE

Definition

A Location is a specific place on Earth that serves as a critical element in the supply chain and business operations. In the context of the IMDE (Interoperable Multi-Dimensional Exchange) framework, a location typically refers to a supply location, which plays a vital role in various stages of the production and distribution process.

Core Concept

Locations are not just geographical points; they are strategic assets that support various functions within an organization. Each location is defined by its physical presence, identification, and associated functions, which can include but are not limited to farming, mining, production, warehousing, distribution, sales, marketing, and research & development.

Key Attributes

• Location IDs: Unique identifiers that provide precise and standardized location information, facilitating interoperability and data exchange. Common methods include:
  • What3Words: A geocoding system that divides the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares, each identified by a unique combination of three words. This method allows for easy communication and pinpointing of exact locations.
  • Global Location Number (GLN): A globally recognized identifier used in supply chain management to uniquely identify locations. A GLN can represent any physical location involved in business transactions, such as production sites, warehouses, or retail outlets.
  • Geographical Coordinates: The exact latitude and longitude that pinpoint the location on Earth.
• Address: A human-readable description of the location, including street address, city, state/province, and country.

Usage Context

In the IMDE framework, locations are integral to the interoperability of data across different layers. Accurate and consistent location data, including standardized identification methods such as What3Words or GLNs, enables seamless integration and exchange of information related to supply chain management, resource allocation, and strategic planning. Locations can be linked to various entities, such as facilities, suppliers, customers, or internal departments, to provide a holistic view of the business operations across multiple geographies.

Related

• GEO Location
• LCAterms
• Identifier Types